Under pressure
Plus: Vax news, PCs dialling for donations, and an LTC staffer nominated
Good Friday morning. This is Queen’s Park Observer — #newsfridays, am I right?
ABOVE THE FOLD
Scooped by the top doc in York Region: An update on vaccines is coming later today, and the Ford government is expected to cut the 16-week timeline to second doses, beginning with elderly folks. Dr. KARIM KURJI told council yesterday that the province “has given us the heads up” that the over-80 crowd could be bumped up for their second round of shots as early as next week, followed by those 70-plus.
Another hint — sitting pretty with supply, Quebec and B.C. announced Thursday most people can get a second jab within eight weeks of their first, perhaps kicking off a two-dose summer trend.
DECISION TIME: With the clock winding down and conflicting advice swirling around him, Premier DOUG FORD wrote a letter to dozens of health and education experts looking to glean advice and a “broad consensus” on resuming in-class learning for June. Ford set the deadline for responses at 5 p.m., so parents shouldn’t hold out for the final word today — that’s expected early next week, before June 2 when the stay-at-home order comes to an end.
Bring it on, came the message from all public health units in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, relayed by chief medical officer of health Dr. DAVID WILLIAMS at Thursday’s Covid briefing. Williams, who is cc’ed on the letter along with teacher unions, SickKids Hospital and mental health experts, has backed a return to schools.
Consensus among such a big crew is unlikely (the Porcupine Health Unit in hard-hit Timmins already came out against a reopening) — and “being premier isn’t about being popular,” said Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER. “It’s about making the tough decisions. But Ford continues to punt responsibility when it matters most.”
HAPPENING TODAY
— At 12 p.m., the Ontario Nurses’ Association will rally — virtually — to push for the repeal of Bill 124, which freezes public-sector wage increases at 1 per cent annually. The speaker lineup features Opposition party leaders ANDREA HORWATH, STEVEN DEL DUCA and MIKE SCHREINER.
AT COMMITTEE
Two government bills are up for a possible makeover at clause-by-clause consideration today, before heading back to the House for third reading next week: Bill 288, Labour Minister MONTE MCNAUGHTON’s legislation revamping the skilled trades, and Bill 276, Associate Small Business Minister PRABMEET SARKARIA’s red-tape reduction legislation. At least one person will be keeping a close eye on the latter in the hopes that Schedule 16 gets scrapped — that would be ex-PC candidate MAUREEN COMUZZI, who quit in protest of the clause because it severs the Northern Ontario School of Medicine from Laurentian University.
MAKING HEADLINES
— A/C IN LTC: Long-Term Care Minister MERRILEE FULLERTON laid out the situation to help seniors beat the heat this summer. As of May 15, all homes are mandated to have air conditioning in a designated cooling area for every 40 residents, and to keep it at a comfortable level on hot days. It’s a marked improvement from last year, when 13 per cent of homes had zilch. But not all residents’ rooms currently have air conditioning, something Premier DOUG FORD acknowledged last summer was “unacceptable,” especially because staff may be too busy to bring upper-floor residents to cooler spots. (He also repeatedly thanked the CBC reporter who raised the matter.)
NDP Leader ANDREA HORWATH said it still isn’t good enough. “I watched the Minister of Long-Term Care’s press conference this morning, and I have to say, that family members know very well that many seniors in long-term care will still be stuck in sweltering rooms fading away over the summer.”
— A new benchmark from the top doc: to reopen, DAVID WILLIAMS says Covid infections should hover around 500 to 600 daily.
— The race to administer the 45,000-large arsenal of AstraZeneca vaccines before they expire Monday is on. “The risk is real, the runway is short now with four days left,” JUSTIN BATES, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, told CBC’s Power & Politics.
— In Toronto’s least-inoculated neighbourhood: “Volunteer staff at a downtown pop-up vaccine clinic are in shock after they were harassed for hours Wednesday by hundreds of angry people demanding second doses.”
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
A couple more PCs are locked in for 2022: In Ottawa—Vanier, PATRICK MAYANGI, the failed 2020 byelection candidate who recently joined Long-Term Care Minister MERRILEE FULLERTON’s office as MPP liaison. Prior to that he was the party’s regional organizer for the 416.
BRIAN RIDDELL — a professor of photography at Conestoga College who’s held a range of private sector management roles — got the nod to run in Cambridge.
SPOTTED:
— A PC fundraising phone call about the border issue, a recording of which landed in my lap. Another source was not happy to receive a call in the middle of last night’s hockey game. Here’s how it went down:
The pitch: “We’ve learned that the deadly Indian COVID-19 variants have already been detected here in Ontario. We both know that the variants are a direct result of JUSTIN TRUDEAU’s slow response to strengthening our borders. We need your help today to get a message out to Ontarians that Justin Trudeau needs to stop all non-essential travel…Can we count on your support to help us?…With your contribution, you do get back up to 75 per cent as a tax credit.”
The response: “Right now it’s just hard times, financially. So I’m not able to do it.”
The rebound: “I fully understand that, but you know, every contribution right now does go a long way. And I know we both agree that DOUG FORD has a pretty tough job, to try and balance the safety of our province while doing all he can to keep the economy moving…If he had the authority to close the borders, he would have done it in a heartbeat, right? So that’s why we have to get a message out there and get this done.”
— ALSO SPOTTED: 13 paramedics honoured with the Ontario Award for Paramedic Bravery, bestowed by Premier DOUG FORD, Health Minister CHRISTINE ELLIOTT and Heritage Minister LISA MACLEOD.
— PC MPP TOBY BARRETT on the mend and his wife CARI home from the hospital after they contracted Covid.
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
— Yaron Gersh, The CCS Group: Brent Gilbertson Enterprises Limited, Hatzoloh
— Aaron Gairdner, Rubicon Strategy: The Ontario Pipe Trades Council
— Patrick Harris, Rubicon Strategy: PMML Corp.
— Erin Iverson, Capital Hill Group: Tanium Inc.
— Jill Wilson, Christopher Froggatt, Dan Mader and Jared Burke, Loyalist Public Affairs: Wine Growers Ontario
— Zahra Sultani and Ryan Guptill, Loyalist Public Affairs: Actua
IN-HOUSE ORGANIZATIONS: Canadian National Insurance Crime Services — Chamber of Marine Commerce — The Financial Advisors Association of Canada (Advocis) — Canadian Cancer Society — Beef Farmers of Ontario — Canadian Marketing Association — FP Canada — Investment Management Corporation of Ontario — Nieuport Aviation.
🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: JOHN TORY, Mayor of Toronto…RACHEL NAUTA, executive assistant to the Speaker…(On Saturday) JENNIE STEVENS, NDP MPP for St. Catharines.
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